#### A recent report has renewed calls for accountability regarding the brutal murders of three aid workers in Ethiopia's Tigray region, suggesting military complicity in their execution.
### Investigation Calls for Justice in 2021 Killings of Aid Workers in Ethiopia
### Investigation Calls for Justice in 2021 Killings of Aid Workers in Ethiopia
#### New report by Doctors Without Borders alleges military involvement in the execution of humanitarian staff members during civil unrest.
In a pointed new report, the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders has accused the Ethiopian government of neglecting to adequately investigate the deliberate killings of three of their aid workers in 2021, urging urgent action for justice. The tragic event, which unfolded in June 2021 amidst escalating violence in the Tigray region, saw the workers’ bodies discovered on a secluded roadside, raising serious concerns about the safety of international aid personnel in conflict zones.
Raquel Ayora, a senior member of Doctors Without Borders, expressed the organization’s stance on the matter during a press briefing in Nairobi, stating, "Our team was executed. There is no way the perpetrators could not know that they were killing civilians." This sentiment resonates with findings from a 2022 investigation by The New York Times, which implicated an Ethiopian military officer in the orders leading to the aid workers’ deaths, characterizing the tragic killings as a targeted attack on humanitarian efforts.
The report outlined a pattern of escalating hostility from Ethiopian government forces towards international aid workers leading up to the slayings. Doctors Without Borders pointed to the presence of retreating Ethiopian troops along the route of the ambush. Despite the government's indicated commitment to an inquiry into the incident, the families of the slain workers have yet to receive credible information about the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
This recent push for justice highlights ongoing tensions in Ethiopia, where the civil conflict remains a pressing humanitarian issue, and calls into question the ability of international organizations to operate freely within the region.
Raquel Ayora, a senior member of Doctors Without Borders, expressed the organization’s stance on the matter during a press briefing in Nairobi, stating, "Our team was executed. There is no way the perpetrators could not know that they were killing civilians." This sentiment resonates with findings from a 2022 investigation by The New York Times, which implicated an Ethiopian military officer in the orders leading to the aid workers’ deaths, characterizing the tragic killings as a targeted attack on humanitarian efforts.
The report outlined a pattern of escalating hostility from Ethiopian government forces towards international aid workers leading up to the slayings. Doctors Without Borders pointed to the presence of retreating Ethiopian troops along the route of the ambush. Despite the government's indicated commitment to an inquiry into the incident, the families of the slain workers have yet to receive credible information about the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
This recent push for justice highlights ongoing tensions in Ethiopia, where the civil conflict remains a pressing humanitarian issue, and calls into question the ability of international organizations to operate freely within the region.
